Table of Contents

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

Form 10-Q

 


 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2005

 

or

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                      to                      .

 

Commission file number 0-22239

 


 

Autobytel Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware   33-0711569
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (I.R.S. Employer identification number)
18872 MacArthur Boulevard, Irvine, California   92612
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(949) 225-4500

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 


 

Check whether the registrant: (1) filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ¨   No x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes x   No ¨

 

As of July 31, 2005, there were 41,914,829 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding.

 



Table of Contents

INDEX

 

          Page

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION     
ITEM 1.    Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited):     
     Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2004    3
     Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months and Six Months Ended June 30, 2005 and 2004    4
     Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2005 and 2004    5
     Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements    7
ITEM 2.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    18
ITEM 4.    Controls and Procedures    43
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION     
ITEM 1.    Legal Proceedings    45
ITEM 6.    Exhibits    47
Signatures    48

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements

 

AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

 

    

June 30,

2005


   

December 31,

2004


 
ASSETS                 

Current assets:

                

Domestic cash and cash equivalents

   $ 27,085     $ 24,287  

Restricted international cash and cash equivalents

     8,631       9,053  

Short-term investments

     12,000       16,500  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances for bad debts and customer credits of $1,147 and $1,037, respectively

     19,238       17,920  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     3,072       2,344  
    


 


Total current assets

     70,026       70,104  

Long-term investments

     6,000       12,000  

Property and equipment, net

     3,594       3,389  

Capitalized internal use software, net

     90       225  

Goodwill

     70,697       70,697  

Acquired intangible assets, net

     3,211       4,187  

Other assets

     110       115  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 153,728     $ 160,717  
    


 


LIABILITIES, MINORITY INTEREST AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                 

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 6,844     $ 5,812  

Accrued expenses

     6,498       7,990  

Current portion of deferred revenues

     4,186       4,029  

Accrued domestic restructuring

     —         74  

Other current liabilities

     2,185       2,216  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     19,713       20,121  

Long-term deferred revenues

     1       8  
    


 


Total liabilities

     19,714       20,129  

Minority interest

     4,338       4,521  

Commitments and contingencies (Note 6.)

                

Stockholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 11,445,187 shares authorized; none outstanding

     —         —    

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 41,911,163 and 41,905,848 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

     42       42  

Additional paid-in capital

     282,303       282,287  

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     1,785       2,099  

Accumulated deficit

     (154,454 )     (148,361 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     129,676       136,067  
    


 


Total liabilities, minority interest and stockholders’ equity

   $ 153,728     $ 160,717  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


   

Six Months Ended

June 30,


 
     2005

    2004

    2005

    2004

 

Revenues

   $ 31,385     $ 31,122     $ 64,713     $ 55,740  

Costs and expenses:

                                

Cost of revenues

     12,682       12,891       26,069       23,416  

Sales and marketing

     7,008       6,998       15,090       13,083  

Product and technology development

     6,279       5,450       12,350       9,810  

General and administrative

     8,539       4,514       16,867       7,533  

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

     354       304       814       331  
    


 


 


 


Total costs and expenses

     34,862       30,157       71,190       54,173  
    


 


 


 


Income (loss) from operations

     (3,477 )     965       (6,477 )     1,567  

Interest income

     389       219       738       405  

Loss in equity investee

     —         —         —         (84 )

Foreign currency exchange gain

     8       20       10       20  

Other income

     —         —         —         1  

Minority interest

     (76 )     (47 )     (93 )     (47 )
    


 


 


 


Income (loss) before income taxes

     (3,156 )     1,157       (5,822 )     1,862  

Provision for income taxes

     (127 )     (171 )     (271 )     (200 )
    


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

   $ (3,283 )   $ 986     $ (6,093 )   $ 1,662  
    


 


 


 


Net income (loss) per share:

                                

Basic

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04  
    


 


 


 


Diluted

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04  
    


 


 


 


Shares used in computing net income (loss) per share:

                                

Basic

     41,906,851       41,123,593       41,906,352       39,733,775  
    


 


 


 


Diluted

     41,906,851       44,708,634       41,906,352       43,656,782  
    


 


 


 


Comprehensive income (loss):

                                

Net income (loss)

   $ (3,283 )   $ 986     $ (6,093 )   $ 1,662  

Translation adjustment

     249       (77 )     314       67  
    


 


 


 


Comprehensive income (loss)

   $ (3,034 )   $ 909     $ (5,779 )   $ 1,729  
    


 


 


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

    

Six Months Ended

June 30,


 
     2005

    2004

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net income (loss)

   $ (6,093 )   $ 1,662  

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

                

Non-cash charges:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     855       801  

Amortization of capitalized internal use software

     193       540  

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

     957       418  

Impairment of acquired intangible assets

     19       —    

Provision for (recovery of) bad debt

     342       (240 )

Provision for customer credits

     1,482       584  

Loss on disposal of property and equipment

     2       20  

Loss on equity investee

     —         84  

Minority interest

     93       47  

Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding the effect of acquisitions and consolidation of Autobytel.Europe:

                

Accounts receivable

     (3,142 )     (1,243 )

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     (728 )     (423 )

Other assets

     5       13  

Accounts payable

     1,032       1,637  

Accrued expenses

     (1,492 )     (1,362 )

Deferred revenues

     150       (524 )

Accrued domestic restructuring

     (74 )     (90 )

Accrued international licensee liabilities

     —         (1,541 )

Other current liabilities

     (31 )     307  
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     (6,430 )     690  
    


 


Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired

     —         (20,631 )

Sales and maturities of short-term and long-term investments

     18,600       17,991  

Purchases of short-term and long-term investments

     (8,100 )     (39,500 )

Redemptions of long-term investments

     —         9,000  

Changes in restricted international cash and cash equivalents

     (168 )     2,038  

Capitalized internal use software costs

     (58 )     —    

Purchases of property and equipment

     (1,068 )     (923 )

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

     6       —    
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     9,212       (32,025 )
    


 


Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Payments of capital lease obligations

     —         (225 )

Net proceeds from sale of common stock

     16       3,657  
    


 


Net cash provided by financing activities

     16       3,432  
    


 


Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     2,798       (27,903 )

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     24,287       45,643  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 27,085     $ 17,740  
    


 


Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

                

Cash paid during the period for income taxes

   $ 534     $ 69  
    


 


Cash refunded during the period for interest

   $ —       $ (1 )
    


 


 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing activities:

 

    In March 2004, Autobytel consolidated Autobytel.Europe due to the adoption of FIN 46R. As a result of this adoption, Autobytel recorded $10,459 in assets (including $10,425 of restricted international cash and cash equivalents), $2,300 in liabilities and $4,161 in minority interest. (See Note 3.)

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

    In April 2004, in conjunction with the acquisition of iDriveonline, Inc., tangible and intangible assets of $12,672 were acquired, liabilities of $770 were assumed and 474,501 shares of common stock valued at $6,775 were issued. (See Note 4.)

 

    In April 2004, in conjunction with the acquisition of Stoneage Corporation, tangible and intangible assets of $53,626 were acquired (including $149 of property and equipment acquired under capital leases), liabilities of $3,458 were assumed and 2,257,733 shares of common stock valued at $33,770 were issued. Additionally, based on the determination of the Stoneage Corporation final purchase price allocation, 47,511 additional shares of common stock valued at $710 were issued in July 2004. (See Note 4.)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

1. Organization and Operations of Autobytel

 

Autobytel Inc. (Autobytel) is an automotive marketing services company that helps dealers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through efficient marketing and advertising primarily through the Internet. Autobytel provides products and programs to automotive dealers and manufacturers to help them increase marketing efficiency and reduce customer acquisition costs. Autobytel owns and operates the automotive Web sites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Car.com, CarSmart.com, Autosite.com, AICAutoSite.com, Autoahorros.com and CarTV.com. Autobytel is also a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) products and programs, which consist of lead management products, customer loyalty and retention marketing programs, and data extraction services for dealers. Autobytel is also a provider of automotive marketing data and technology.

 

Autobytel is a Delaware corporation incorporated on May 17, 1996. Its principal corporate offices are located in Irvine, California. Autobytel completed an initial public offering in March 1999 and its common stock is listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ABTL.

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

 

The accompanying interim consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2005, and for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 are unaudited. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited annual consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of Autobytel’s management, reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary to fairly state Autobytel’s consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Autobytel’s results for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year.

 

Although Autobytel believes that all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim periods presented are included and that the disclosures are adequate, these consolidated financial statements and related notes are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2004 included in Autobytel’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 31, 2005.

 

Principles of Consolidation

 

On March 31, 2004, Autobytel adopted FIN 46R and determined it was the primary beneficiary of Autobytel.Europe LLC (Autobytel.Europe). As a result of adopting FIN 46R, Autobytel consolidated Autobytel.Europe in its consolidated financial statements. Autobytel owns 49% of Autobytel.Europe. (See Note 3.)

 

All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires Autobytel to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

For purposes of the consolidated balance sheets and the consolidated statements of cash flows, Autobytel considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Domestic cash and cash equivalents represent amounts held by Autobytel for use by Autobytel.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

Restricted international cash and cash equivalents represent amounts held for Autobytel.Europe’s current operations use as directed by Autobytel.Europe. Restricted international cash and cash equivalents are not available to Autobytel.

 

Short-Term and Long-Term Investments

 

Autobytel categorized its debt securities as either held-to-maturity or available-for-sale investments in accordance with SFAS No. 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities.” All held-to-maturity securities with remaining maturities of less than one year are classified as short-term investments and all held-to-maturity securities with remaining maturities greater than one year are classified as long-term investments and are reported at amortized cost. Autobytel categorized auction rate securities as available-for-sale short-term investments. Auction rate securities are reported at cost, which approximates fair market value due to the interest rate reset feature of these securities. As such, no unrealized gains or losses related to these securities were recognized during the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method.

 

Autobytel reviews its investments in debt securities for potential impairment on a regular basis. As part of the evaluation process, Autobytel considers the credit ratings of these securities and Autobytel’s intent and ability to hold the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated improvement of the investee financial condition. Autobytel will record an impairment loss on investments for any other-than-temporary decline in fair value of these debt securities below their cost basis. For the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, Autobytel did not record any impairment losses that were related to other-than-temporary decline in fair value of its debt securities.

 

As of June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2004, the amortized cost basis, aggregate fair value, unrealized gains and losses by security type were as follows:

 

    

Amortized

Cost Basis


  

Aggregate

Fair Value


  

Unrealized

Gains


  

Unrealized

Losses


June 30, 2005:

                           

Short-term investments, held-to-maturity:

                           

Government sponsored agency bonds

   $ 12,000    $ 11,885    $  —      $ 115

Long-term investments, held-to-maturity:

                           

Government sponsored agency bonds

     6,000      5,961      —        39
    

  

  

  

Total as of June 30, 2005

   $ 18,000    $ 17,846    $ —      $ 154
    

  

  

  

December 31, 2004:

                           

Short-term investments, available for sale:

                           

Auction rate securities

   $ 10,500    $ 10,500    $ —      $  —  

Short-term investments, held-to-maturity:

                           

Government sponsored agency bonds

     6,000      5,976      —        24
    

  

  

  

       16,500      16,476      —        24

Long-term investments, held-to-maturity:

                           

Government sponsored agency bonds

     12,000      11,905      —        95
    

  

  

  

Total as of December 31, 2004

   $ 28,500    $ 28,381    $ —      $ 119
    

  

  

  

 

The following represents the contractual maturities of investments as of June 30, 2005:

 

    

Amortized

Cost Basis


Due within one year

   $ 12,000

Due after one through five years

     6,000
    

     $ 18,000
    

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

Revenues

 

Autobytel classifies revenues as lead fees, advertising, customer relationship management (CRM) services, and data, applications and other. Revenues by groups of similar services are as follows for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


  

Six Months Ended

June 30,


     2005

   2004

   2005

   2004

Lead fees

   $ 19,699    $ 21,772    $ 41,324    $ 38,964

Advertising

     4,497      3,165      9,258      6,267

CRM services

     6,040      4,951      11,798      7,960

Data, applications and other

     1,149      1,234      2,333      2,549
    

  

  

  

Total revenues

   $ 31,385    $ 31,122    $ 64,713    $ 55,740
    

  

  

  

 

Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) per share

 

Net income (loss) per share has been calculated under SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share.” SFAS No. 128 requires companies to compute earnings per share under two different methods, basic and diluted. Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period and dilutive potential shares of common stock. Dilutive potential shares of common stock, as determined under the treasury stock method, consist of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options net of shares of common stock assumed to be repurchased by Autobytel from the exercise proceeds.

 

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


  

Six Months Ended

June 30,


     2005

    2004

   2005

    2004

Numerator:

                             

Net income (loss)

   $ (3,283 )   $ 986    $ (6,093 )   $ 1,662

Denominator:

                             

Weighted average common shares and denominator for basic calculation

     41,906,851       41,123,593      41,906,352       39,733,775

Weighted average effect of dilutive securities:

                             

Employee stock options

     —         3,571,555      —         3,909,521

Employee stock purchase plan

     —         13,486      —         13,486
    


 

  


 

Denominator for diluted calculation

     41,906,851       44,708,634      41,906,352       43,656,782

Net income (loss) per share—basic

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02    $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04

Net income (loss) per share—diluted

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02    $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

For the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005, 7,944,035 and 7,866,917 antidilutive potential shares of common stock have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share, as Autobytel incurred a net loss for the period. For the three months and six months ended June 30, 2004, 1,548,368 and 1,131,432 antidilutive potential shares of common stock have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share which represent stock options with an exercise price greater than the average market price for the period.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

As permitted under SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure,” which amended SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation”, Autobytel has elected to continue to account for its stock-based compensation using the intrinsic value method in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” Under APB 25, compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period based on the excess of the market closing price over the exercise price on the grant date.

 

For disclosure purposes, stock compensation expense has been estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model on the date of grant and assumptions related to dividend yield, stock price volatility, weighted-average risk free interest rate and expected life of the stock options, which is a fair value based method. Had the provisions of SFAS No. 123 been applied to Autobytel’s stock option grants for its stock-based compensation plans, Autobytel’s net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, would approximate the pro forma amounts below:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


   

Six Months Ended

June 30,


 
     2005

    2004

    2005

    2004

 

Net income (loss):

                                

As reported

   $ (3,283 )   $ 986     $ (6,093 )   $ 1,662  

Less: Employee stock-based compensation determined under the fair value based method

     (1,286 )     (1,501 )     (2,879 )     (2,772 )
    


 


 


 


Pro forma

   $ (4,569 )   $ (515 )   $ (8,972 )   $ (1,110 )
    


 


 


 


Net income (loss) per share—basic:

                                

As reported

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04  

Pro forma

   $ (0.11 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.21 )   $ (0.03 )

Net income (loss) per share—diluted:

                                

As reported

   $ (0.08 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.15 )   $ 0.04  

Pro forma

   $ (0.11 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.21 )   $ (0.03 )

 

The effects of applying SFAS No. 123 in this pro forma disclosure are not indicative of future amounts.

 

Autobytel granted 893,500 and 438,000 stock options to employees and directors during the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Autobytel granted 893,500 and 988,000 stock options to employees and directors during the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The options granted in the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 were estimated to have a weighted average fair value per share of $2.58 and $5.84, respectively. The options granted in the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 were estimated to have a weighted average fair value per share of $2.58 and $6.38, respectively. The fair value was based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model on the date of grant and the following assumptions:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


   

Six Months Ended

June 30,


 
     2005

    2004

    2005

    2004

 

Dividend yield

   —   %   —   %   —   %   —   %

Volatility

   71.94 %   66.39 %   71.94 %   66.16 %

Weighted-average risk-free interest rate

   3.65 %   2.506 %   3.65 %   2.342 %

Weighted-average expected life

   3.5 years     3.5 years     3.5 years     3.5 years  

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

Awards issued under the employee stock purchase plan were estimated to have a weighted average fair value per award of $0.87 and $1.75 for the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, Awards issued under the employee stock purchase plan were estimated to have a weighted average fair value per award of $0.87 and $2.40 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The fair value was based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the following assumptions:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


 

Six Months Ended

June 30,


     2005

  2004

  2005

  2004

Dividend yield

   —  %   —  %   —  %   —  %

Volatility

   46.99%   73.86%   46.99%   66.06% -73.86%

Risk-free interest rate

   2.99%   1.03%   2.99%   1.03% -1.05%

Expected life

   1.4 months   6 months   1.4 months   6 months

 

As of June 30, 2005, Autobytel had a total of 8,269,633 stock options outstanding, of which 3,057,092 stock options had exercise prices below the closing price per share of Autobytel’s common stock on that date.

 

Business Segment

 

Autobytel conducts its business within one business segment, which is defined as providing automotive marketing services.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123R (revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment”, which revised SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation”. This statement supercedes APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”. The revised statement addresses the accounting for share-based payment transactions with employees and other third parties, eliminates the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB 25 and requires that the compensation costs relating to such transactions be recognized in the consolidated statement of operations. The revised statement is effective as of the first annual period beginning after June 15, 2005. In accordance with the revised statement, Autobytel will be required to recognize the expense attributable to stock options granted or vested subsequent to December 31, 2005. Autobytel expects the adoption of SFAS 123R will result in amounts that are similar to the current pro forma disclosures in Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, “Exchanges of Non-monetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29,” (“SFAS 153”). SFAS 153 addresses the measurement of exchanges of non-monetary assets and redefines the scope of transactions that should be measured based on the fair value of the assets exchanged. SFAS 153 is effective for non-monetary asset exchanges occurring in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005. The adoption of SFAS 153 is not expected to have a material effect on Autobytel’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

On March 29, 2005, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 107 which expresses the views of the SEC regarding the interaction between SFAS No. 123R and certain SEC rules and regulations and provides the SEC’s views regarding the valuation of share-based payment arrangements for public companies. In particular, SAB 107 provides guidance related to share-based payment transactions with non-employees, the transition from nonpublic to public entity status, valuation methods (including assumptions such as expected volatility and expected term), the accounting for certain redeemable financial instruments issued under share-based payment arrangements, the classification of compensation expense, non-GAAP financial measures, first-time adoption of SFAS No. 123R in an interim period, capitalization of compensation cost related to share-based payment arrangements, the accounting for income tax effects of share-based payment arrangements upon adoption of SFAS No. 123R, the modification of employee share options prior to adoption of SFAS No. 123R and disclosures in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations subsequent to adoption of SFAS No. 123R. Autobytel does not expect the impact SAB 107, which became effective on March 29, 2005, to have a material impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In May 2005, Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (“SFAS 154”). SFAS 154 requires retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in accounting principle. It also requires that the new accounting principle be applied to the balances of assets and liabilities as of the beginning of the earliest period for which retrospective application is practicable and that a corresponding adjustment be made to the opening balance of retained earnings for that period rather than being reported in an income statement. The statement will be effective for accounting changes and corrections of errors

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

made in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2005. Autobytel does not expect the adoption of SFAS 154 to have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

3. Autobytel.Europe LLC

 

Autobytel.Europe was organized in August 1997 and began operations in the fourth quarter of 1999. Autobytel.Europe was formed to expand the Autobytel business model and operations throughout Europe.

 

On March 28, 2002, Autobytel.Europe completed a recapitalization, which reduced Autobytel’s ownership of Autobytel.Europe from 76.5% to 49%. As a result of the reduction in Autobytel’s ownership interest, Autobytel accounted for its investment in Autobytel.Europe under the equity method subsequent to March 28, 2002.

 

On March 31, 2004, Autobytel adopted the provisions of FIN 46R and determined it was the primary beneficiary of Autobytel.Europe. The assets and liabilities of Autobytel.Europe were as follows:

 

     As of

 
    

June 30,

2005


   

December 31,

2004


 

Restricted international cash and cash equivalents

   $ 8,631     $ 9,053  

Other current and non-current assets

     93       75  

Current liabilities

     (218 )     (264 )

Minority interest

     (4,338 )     (4,521 )
    


 


     $ 4,168     $ 4,343  
    


 


 

Autobytel.Europe’s revenue and expenses are included in Autobytel’s consolidated results of operations beginning April 1, 2004. Autobytel.Europe’s revenue for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005 was $31 and $76, respectively, and $35 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004.

 

4. Acquisitions

 

Acquisition of Stoneage Corporation

 

On April 15, 2004, Autobytel acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Stoneage Corporation (Stoneage), now Car.com, Inc., a provider of Internet automotive buying services and owner of the Car.com Web site. Stoneage was acquired to expand Autobytel’s market share of new car buyers, increase the number of purchase requests processed through Autobytel, and add retail and enterprise dealer relationships to Autobytel. The acquisition also added the Car.com finance request business to Autobytel. Autobytel believes that the combined assets will further position it as a leader in the internet automotive business services sector. The aggregate purchase price was $50,767 and consisted of $15,251 in cash and 2,305,244 shares of common stock valued at $34,480 and transaction costs of $1,036.

 

Stoneage’s financial position and results of operations from the date of acquisition on April 15, 2004 have been included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

Acquisition of iDriveonline, Inc.

 

On April 9, 2004, Autobytel acquired all of the outstanding common stock of iDriveonline, Inc. (iDriveonline), now Retention Performance Marketing, Inc., a provider of customer loyalty and retention marketing programs for the automotive industry, in exchange for cash and common stock. The acquisition combines iDriveonline’s leading applications, including an online prospecting and retention tool, enhanced data and segmentation tools, and improved dealer reporting capabilities with Autobytel’s existing customer retention program. Through this acquisition, Autobytel gained a meaningful presence in the automotive CRM marketplace. The aggregate purchase price was $12,168 and consisted of $5,021 in cash, 474,501 shares of common stock valued at $6,775 and transaction costs of $372.

 

iDriveonline’s financial position and results of operations from the date of acquisition on April 9, 2004 have been included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

Proforma Consolidated Results of Operations

 

The following summarized unaudited pro forma consolidated results of operations are presented as if the acquisitions of iDriveonline and Stoneage had occurred on January 1, 2004. The unaudited pro forma results are not necessarily indicative of future earnings or earnings that would have been reported had the acquisitions been completed as presented.

 

    

Three Months

Ended

June 30, 2004


  

Six Months

Ended

June 30, 2004


Revenue

   $ 32,541    $ 65,129

Net income

   $ 1,844    $ 2,921

Net income per share:

             

Basic

   $ 0.04    $ 0.07

Diluted

   $ 0.04    $ 0.06

 

5. Acquired Intangible Assets

 

Acquired intangible assets recorded as a part of the AVV, Inc., iDriveonline and Stoneage acquisitions are amortized over their estimated useful lives and consist of the following:

 

     As of June 30, 2005

    

Average

Estimated

Useful Lives


  

Gross Carrying

Amount


  

Accumulated

Amortization


   

Impairment

Charge


   

Net

Amount


Developed technology

   2 years    $ 820    $ (499 )   $ —       $ 321

Customer relationships

   3 years      4,375      (1,797 )     (219 )     2,359

Domain name

   5 years      700      (169 )     —         531
         

  


 


 

Total

        $ 5,895    $ (2,465 )   $ (219 )   $ 3,211
         

  


 


 

     As of December 31, 2004

    

Average

Estimated

Useful Lives


  

Gross Carrying

Amount


  

Accumulated

Amortization


   

Impairment

Charge


   

Net

Amount


Developed technology

   2 years    $ 820    $ (289 )   $ —       $ 531

Customer relationships

   3 years      4,375      (1,120 )     (200 )     3,055

Domain name

   5 years      700      (99 )     —         601
         

  


 


 

Total

        $ 5,895    $ (1,508 )   $ (200 )   $ 4,187
         

  


 


 

 

Amortization expense for the remaining lives of the acquired intangible assets is estimated to be as follows:

 

    

Amortization

Expense


Six months ending December 31, 2005

   $ 950

2006

   $ 1,568

2007

   $ 512

2008

   $ 140

2009

   $ 41

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

6. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Litigation

 

In August 2001, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Autobytel and certain of Autobytel’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autobytel Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autobytel’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autobytel have been consolidated with two other complaints that relate to its initial public offering but do not name it as a defendant, and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. This action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autobytel’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the prospectus for Autobytel’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autobytel Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autobytel Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court denied the motion to dismiss the complaint against Autobytel. On October 13, 2004, the Court certified a class in six of the approximately 300 other nearly identical actions and noted that the decision is intended to provide strong guidance to all parties regarding class certification in the remaining cases. Plaintiffs have not yet moved to certify a class in the Autobytel case. Autobytel has approved a settlement agreement and related agreements which set forth the terms of a settlement between Autobytel, the plaintiff class and the vast majority of the other approximately 300 issuer defendants. Among other provisions, the settlement provides for a release of Autobytel and the Autobytel Individual Defendants for the conduct alleged in the action to be wrongful. Autobytel would agree to undertake certain responsibilities, including agreeing to assign away, not assert, or release certain potential claims Autobytel may have against its underwriters. The settlement agreement also provides a guaranteed recovery of $1 billion to plaintiffs for the cases relating to all of the approximately 300 issuers. To the extent that the underwriter defendants settle all of the cases for at least $1 billion, no payment will be required under the issuers’ settlement agreement. To the extent that the underwriter defendants settle for less than $1 billion, the issuers are required to make up the difference. It is anticipated that any potential financial obligation of Autobytel to plaintiffs pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement and related agreements will be directly covered and paid by its insurance carriers. Autobytel currently is not aware of any material limitations on the expected recovery of any potential financial obligation to plaintiffs from its insurance carriers. Its carriers are solvent, and Autobytel is not aware of any uncertainties as to the legal sufficiency of an insurance claim with respect to any recovery by plaintiffs. Therefore, Autobytel does not expect that the settlement will involve any payment by Autobytel. If material limitations on the expected recovery of any potential financial obligation to the plaintiffs from Autobytel’s insurance carriers should arise, Autobytel’s maximum financial obligation to plaintiffs pursuant to the settlement agreement would be less than $3.4 million. On February 15, 2005, the Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement agreement, subject to certain modifications consistent with its opinion. The Court ruled that the issuer defendants and the plaintiffs were required to submit a revised settlement agreement which provides for a mutual bar of all contribution claims by the settling and non-settling parties and does not bar the parties from pursuing other claims. The issuers and plaintiffs submitted to the Court a revised settlement agreement consistent with the Court’s opinion. The revised settlement agreement has been approved by all the issuer defendants that are not in bankruptcy. The underwriter defendants will have an opportunity to object to the revised settlement agreement. There is no assurance that the Court will grant final approval to the settlement. If the settlement agreement is not approved and Autobytel is found liable, Autobytel is unable to estimate or predict the potential damages that might be awarded, whether such damages would be greater than its insurance coverage, or whether such damages would have a material impact on its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in any future period.

 

Between April and June 2001, eight separate purported class actions virtually identical to the one filed against Autobytel were filed against Autoweb.com, Inc. (“Autoweb”), certain of Autoweb’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autoweb Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autoweb’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autoweb have been consolidated into a single action, and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. The foregoing action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autoweb’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

prospectus for Autoweb’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autoweb Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autoweb Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court dismissed the Section 10(b) claim without prejudice and with leave to replead but denied the motion to dismiss the claim under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 against Autoweb. On October 13, 2004, the Court certified a class in six of the approximately 300 other nearly identical actions and noted that the decision is intended to provide strong guidance to all parties regarding class certification in the remaining cases. Plaintiffs have not yet moved to certify a class in the Autoweb case. Autoweb has approved a settlement agreement and related agreements which set forth the terms of a settlement between Autoweb, the plaintiff class and the vast majority of the other approximately 300 issuer defendants. Among other provisions, the settlement provides for a release of Autoweb and the Autoweb Individual Defendants for the conduct alleged in the action to be wrongful. Autoweb would agree to undertake certain responsibilities, including agreeing to assign away, not assert, or release certain potential claims Autoweb may have against its underwriters. The settlement agreement also provides a guaranteed recovery of $1 billion to plaintiffs for the cases relating to all of the approximately 300 issuers. To the extent that the underwriter defendants settle all of the cases for at least $1 billion, no payment will be required under the issuers’ settlement agreement. To the extent that the underwriter defendants settle for less than $1 billion, the issuers are required to make up the difference. It is anticipated that any potential financial obligation of Autoweb to plaintiffs pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement and related agreements will be directly covered and paid by its insurance carriers. Autoweb currently is not aware of any material limitations on the expected recovery of any potential financial obligation to plaintiffs from its insurance carriers. Its carriers are solvent, and Autoweb is not aware of any uncertainties as to the legal sufficiency of an insurance claim with respect to any recovery by plaintiffs. Therefore, Autobytel does not expect that the settlement will involve any payment by Autoweb. If material limitations on the expected recovery of any potential financial obligation to the plaintiffs from Autoweb’s insurance carriers should arise, Autoweb’s maximum financial obligation to plaintiffs pursuant to the settlement agreement would be less than $3.4 million. On February 15, 2005, the Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement agreement, subject to certain modifications consistent with its opinion. The Court ruled that the issuer defendants and the plaintiffs were required to submit a revised settlement agreement which provides for a mutual bar of all contribution claims by the settling and non-settling parties and does not bar the parties from pursuing other claims. The issuers and plaintiffs have submitted to the Court a revised settlement agreement consistent with the Court’s opinion. The revised settlement agreement has been approved by all of the issuer defendants that are not in bankruptcy. The underwriter defendants will have an opportunity to object to the revised settlement agreement. There is no assurance that the Court will grant final approval to the settlement. If the settlement agreement is not approved and Autoweb is found liable, Autobytel is unable to estimate or predict the potential damages that might be awarded, whether such damages would be greater than Autoweb’s insurance coverage, or whether such damages would have a material impact on Autobytel’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in any future period.

 

On September 24, 2004, Autobytel filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Dealix Corporation. In that lawsuit, Autobytel asserted infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,282,517, entitled “Real Time Communication of Purchase Requests,” against Dealix Corporation. Autobytel contends that Dealix Corporation is infringing Autobytel’s patent by virtue of Dealix Corporation’s software system for the distribution of purchase requests and seeks damages and/or a preliminary injunction. Dealix Corporation filed answers to this lawsuit on January 28, 2005, February 1, 2005 and July 19, 2005, in which it asserts typical defensive counterclaims denying infringement, asserting patent misuse and challenging the validity of the patent. Autobytel filed a reply responding to such counterclaims on August 2, 2005. A Markman Hearing, to construe the individual terms of the asserted patent’s claims prior to a determination of infringement, is scheduled for October, 2005. Dealix Corporation also seeks attorney’s fees and costs. Autobytel expects to incur attorneys’ fees and costs in this matter as are customary in the prosecution of patent litigation, and could be liable for Dealix Corporation’s attorneys’ fees and costs if Dealix Corporation is successful in its counterclaims.

 

Between October and December 2004, five separate purported class actions were filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against Autobytel and certain of its current directors and current and former officers. The claims were brought on behalf of stockholders who purchased shares during the period July 24, 2003 through October 21, 2004. The claims alleged in all of these purported class actions are virtually identical, and purport to allege violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. In this regard, the plaintiffs allege that Autobytel misrepresented and omitted material facts with respect to its financial results and operations during the time period between July 24, 2003 and October 20, 2004. The complaint seeks unspecified

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

compensatory damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as accountants’ and experts’ fees. On January 28, 2005, the court ordered the consolidation of the currently pending class actions into a single case pursuant to a stipulation for consolidation signed by all parties. On March 14, 2005, the court appointed a lead plaintiff and approved the selection of lead counsel and liaison counsel. On June 30, 2005, the lead plaintiff filed and served a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint alleging violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The putative class period is July 24, 2003 to October 21, 2004. Defendants filed and served a motion to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint on August 1, 2005. The hearing is currently set for November 2005. Additional lawsuits asserting the same or similar claims may be filed as well. Autobytel intends to defend the claims vigorously. However, Autobytel cannot currently predict the impact or outcome of this litigation, which could be material, and the initiation, continuation and outcome of these lawsuits may have a material impact on Autobytel’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

In addition, Autobytel’s directors and a former officer are defendants in a derivative suit pending in the Superior Court of Orange County, California, and Autobytel is named as a nominal defendant in this suit. This suit purports to allege that the defendants breached numerous duties to Autobytel, including breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of information, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, as well as violations of California Corporations Code 25402 (trading with material non-public information), and that these breaches and violations caused losses to Autobytel, including damages to its reputation and goodwill. Plaintiffs’ claims are based on allegations that the defendants disseminated false and misleading statements concerning Autobytel’s results of operations and that these results were inflated at all relevant times due to violations of generally accepted accounting principles and Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory damages, treble damages, equitable and/or injunctive relief, restitution, and attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as accountants’ and experts’ fees. Plaintiffs filed and served an Amended Derivative Complaint on July 29, 2005. Pursuant to stipulated order, defendants’ response to this Amended Derivative Complaint is due in September 2005. Autobytel intends to defend this suit vigorously. However, Autobytel cannot currently predict the impact or outcome of this litigation, which could be material, and the continuation and outcome of this lawsuit, as well as the initiation of similar suits may have a material impact on Autobytel’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

Autobytel has reviewed the above class and derivative actions and does not believe that it is probable that a loss contingency has occurred, therefore, no amounts have been recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

From time to time, Autobytel is involved in other litigation matters arising from the normal course of its business activities. The actions filed against Autobytel and other litigation, even if not meritorious, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention and an adverse outcome in litigation could materially adversely affect Autobytel’s business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

7. Accrued Domestic Restructuring Liability

 

In 2002, Autobytel recorded a total of $769 for charges related to the restructuring of Autobytel’s operations to reduce costs and enhance efficiencies. The charges included severance costs affecting approximately 15% of Autobytel’s employees in sales, marketing and information technology, and Autobytel’s lease obligation on the vacant portion of office facilities in Westborough, Massachusetts.

 

The remaining accrued domestic restructuring liabilities related to the 2002 restructuring charges for Autobytel’s lease obligation on the vacant portion of office facilities in Westborough, Massachusetts were paid in full during the second quarter of 2005.

 

8. Related Party Transactions

 

Consulting Agreement

 

Autobytel and Robert Grimes, a current director and a former Executive Vice President of Autobytel, are parties to a consulting services agreement dated April 1, 2000. The agreement was extended through September 30, 2004 and then on a month to month basis until notice of termination by either party. During the term of the consulting agreement, Mr. Grimes will receive $50 per year payable on a monthly basis and a $2.5 monthly office expense allowance. These costs are included

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

in product and technology development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Mr. Grimes will make himself available to the executive officers of Autobytel for up to 16 hours a month for consultation and other activities related to formulating and implementing business strategies and relationships. Autobytel may terminate the agreement upon Mr. Grimes’ breach of contract. If Mr. Grimes’ agreement is terminated without breach, Mr. Grimes is entitled to either a pro rated or a lump sum payment equal to the amount that would have been received by Mr. Grimes if he had remained a consultant for the remaining balance of the term. In the event of death or disability, Autobytel will pay to Mr. Grimes or his successors and assignees the amount that Mr. Grimes would have received for the remainder of the term of the agreement.

 

9. Subsequent Events

 

Employment Agreement

 

In connection with the appointment of Ariel Amir to the position of Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, Autobytel and Mr. Amir amended and restated the April 1, 2002 Employment Agreement between them in an Employment Agreement (as amended and restated, the “Amir Employment Agreement”).

 

The Amir Employment Agreement is for a one year term and automatically renews for an additional one year period unless either party notifies the other of its intent not to renew no later than 120 days prior to the expiration of the one year term. Mr. Amir is entitled to an annual base salary of $265,000 during the term, and is eligible for a bonus of 50% of his annual base salary in the board’s discretion. In addition, Mr. Amir may participate in any benefit plans generally afforded to executive officers. If Mr. Amir’s employment is terminated without “cause” or if Mr. Amir terminates his employment with “good reason” (each as defined in the Amir Employment Agreement), Mr. Amir is entitled to a lump sum payment equal to his annual base salary plus bonus, as well as benefits for one year following such termination.

 

In the event of a change of control during the term of his employment or at any time during the six month period following such term, Mr. Amir is entitled to a lump sum payment equal to two times the sum of his annual base salary plus a bonus of 50% of annual base salary, so long as Mr. Amir agrees, if requested, to continue with Autobytel or any successor for no longer than 90 days after the change of control. If Mr. Amir’s compensation is deemed to be parachute payments under the Internal Revenue Code, then Autobytel has agreed to make additional payments to him to compensate for his additional tax obligations.

 

Mr. Amir will also be granted stock options to purchase 100,000 shares of Autobytel’s common stock, which shall vest, as to 33,333 of the options, on the one year anniversary of the date of grant, and thereafter approximately 2,777 of the options shall vest on each monthly anniversary of the date of grant, provided that the vesting of such options shall accelerate upon a change of control.

 

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Table of Contents

Item 2. Management’s Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations

 

You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of certain events may differ significantly from those projected in such forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” below in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

Overview

 

We are an automotive marketing services company that helps dealers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through efficient marketing and advertising primarily through the Internet. We own and operate the automotive Web sites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Car.com, CarSmart.com, AutoSite.com, AICAutoSite.com, Autoahorros.com, and CarTV.com. We are also a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) products and programs, consisting of lead management products, customer loyalty and retention marketing programs, data extraction services and automotive marketing data and technology.

 

We expect our results of operations and financial condition during 2005 to be adversely affected by higher than expected operating costs, including an increase in customer acquisition costs and costs relating to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as costs associated with the restatements of our consolidated financial statements which were filed on May 31, 2005, the internal review relating to the restatements, and the remediation of material weaknesses in our internal controls identified in our internal review. In addition, costs associated with defending purported class action and derivative lawsuits filed against us and certain current directors and current and former officers relating to the restatements of our consolidated financial statements, and costs associated with enforcing our intellectual property rights, including the lawsuit filed against Dealix Corporation for patent infringement, are also expected to increase our operating costs and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

As previously announced, on April 27, 2005, (i) Jeffrey Schwartz resigned as our Chief Executive Officer and President (but remains an employee in the role of Vice Chairman), (ii) Richard Post, a director, was elected as Chief Executive Officer and President, and (iii) Richard Walker, former Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy, was elected as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

 

As previously announced, on April 1, 2005, Matthew McDowell, our Vice President and Controller and principal accounting officer, resigned as an employee of Autobytel. Michael F. Schmidt, our Chief Financial Officer, assumed the functions of principal accounting officer, pending our appointment of a Controller.

 

As previously announced, on May 30, 2005, Mr. Schmidt was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer.

 

As previously announced, on June 16, 2005, Andrew Donchak tendered his resignation as our Executive Vice President effective July 31, 2005. In connection with the resignation, Mr. Donchak is entitled to a severance payment equal to one year’s base salary at the highest rate paid while employed by us and benefits for twelve months following the termination of his employment. As a result, we accrued $0.3 million in sales and marketing expenses during the second quarter of 2005.

 

On April 19, 2005, we took steps to commit to integrate the business operations of our customer loyalty and retention marketing program, Retention Performance Marketing, with our customer lead management product, Web Control ® , (the “Integration”). We determined to proceed with the Integration in order to increase efficiency and respond to market demand for integrated customer relationship management solutions. As part of the Integration, we intend to close our Houston office and to move the operations of such office to our offices in Irvine, California and/or Westerville, Ohio. Certain employees in the Houston office may relocate to our offices in Irvine, California and/or Westerville, Ohio. We expect to complete the Integration by December 31, 2005. We estimate that the total expenses relating to the Integration, primarily consisting of retention, severance and relocation costs, will be between $175,000 and $300,000.

 

We expect revenue from our business for the second half of 2005 to be lower than the second half of 2004. We also expect the percentage of 2005 revenues from lead fees to decrease and the percentage of revenues from CRM services and advertising to increase, in each case, from 2004.

 

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As of June 30, 2005, we had $45.1 million in domestic cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments.

 

Net cash used in operations was $6.4 million in the second quarter of 2005. The decrease is primarily due to the payments associated with the previous internal review, restatements and audits of our consolidated financial statements, annual insurance premiums and a contract dispute settlement, which totaled approximately $8.6 million. We may continue to use cash from operations for the remainder of 2005.

 

Our lead referral dealer relationships represent every major domestic and imported make of vehicle and light truck sold in the United States. As of June 30, 2005, our lead referral dealer relationships consisted of approximately 6,100 retail dealer relationships (including approximately 260 suspended dealers), relationships with major dealer groups representing approximately 680 enterprise dealer relationships, and five direct relationships encompassing 15 brands with automotive manufacturers or their automotive buying service affiliates through our enterprise sales initiatives representing up to approximately 17,000 enterprise dealer relationships. As of June 30, 2005, approximately 850 retail dealers had more than one retail lead referral dealer relationship with us. A majority of our revenue from lead referral dealer relationships is derived from retail dealer relationships and enterprise dealer relationships with major dealer groups. In addition, as of June 30, 2005, our finance lead referral network included approximately 300 relationships with retail dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies who participate in our Car.com finance referral network. As of June 30, 2005, CRM customer relationships consisted of approximately 2,900 Web Control, our lead management product, and approximately 760 Retention Performance Marketing ® (RPM ® ), our customer loyalty and retention marketing program, relationships. As an example of how we calculate these relationships, a dealer that subscribes to the Autobytel.com new car program and the Autoweb.com new car program accounts for two retail dealer relationships, and a dealer that subscribes to our Web Control product and RPM program accounts for two CRM customer relationships. As a further example, a dealer group that owns three different franchises and that subscribes to the Autoweb.com new car program for all such franchises accounts for three retail dealer relationships. Web Control customer relationships are accounted for based on the number of customers using Web Control, rather than the number of franchises owned by a given customer. We no longer include iManager SM (our legacy lead management tool) product relationships within CRM customer relationships, as we are offering dealers who use iManager the opportunity to migrate to Web Control. Suspended dealer relationships are relationships with dealers to whom the delivery of purchase requests or performance of services has been suspended. The number of dealer relationships and customer relationships as of June 30, 2005 referred to above was determined in conformity with the methodology described above.

 

We conduct our business within one business segment, which is defined as providing automotive marketing services.

 

Lead fees consist of car buying purchase request fees for new and used cars, and finance request fees.

 

Fees for car buying purchase requests are paid by retail dealers, enterprise dealers and automotive manufacturers or their buying service affiliates who participate in our online car buying referral networks. Beginning April 15, 2004, lead fees include fees paid by retail dealers, enterprise dealers and automotive manufacturers who participate in our Car.com online car buying referral network. Enterprise dealers consist of (i) dealers that are part of major dealer groups with more than 25 dealerships with whom we have a single agreement and (ii) dealers that are eligible to receive purchase requests from us as part of a single agreement with an automotive manufacturer or its automotive buying service affiliate. Major dealer groups include AutoNation and automotive manufacturers include manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford and Mazda. Fees paid by customers participating in our car buying referral networks are comprised of monthly subscription and transaction fees for consumer leads, or purchase requests, which are directed to participating dealers. These monthly subscription and transaction fees are recognized in the period service is provided. Ongoing fixed monthly subscription fees are based, among other things, on the size of territory, demographics and, indirectly, the transmittal of purchase requests to customers participating in our car buying referral networks. Transaction fees are based on the number of purchase requests provided to retail and enterprise dealers and automotive manufacturers each month.

 

Generally, our dealer contracts are terminable on 30 days’ notice by either party. As of June 30, 2005, a major manufacturer in our program accounted for up to approximately 8,000 enterprise dealer relationships. This program with such major manufacturer automatically extends in one-month increments until terminated by us or the manufacturer. From time to time, a major dealer group or automotive manufacturer may significantly increase or decrease the number of enterprise dealers participating in our dealer networks or the number of purchase requests accepted from us. We intend to strengthen the size and quality of our relationships with major dealer groups and automotive manufacturers.

 

Beginning April 15, 2004, lead fees also include fees paid by retail dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies who participate in our Car.com finance referral network. Customers participating in our

 

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Car.com finance referral network pay ongoing monthly subscription fees or transaction fees based on the number of finance requests provided to them each month. The fees are recognized in the period service is provided.

 

For the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, lead fees were $19.7 million and $21.8 million, or 63% and 70% of total revenues in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. We expect to derive a majority of our revenues in the foreseeable future from retail dealers, enterprise dealers and automotive manufacturers that participate in our online car buying referral networks and dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies that participate in our Car.com finance referral network. We anticipate that our lead fee revenue in 2005 will decrease compared to 2004 due to lower revenues from retail dealers, partially offset by higher finance request revenue.

 

Advertising revenues represent fees from automotive manufacturers and other advertisers who target car buyers during the research, consideration and decision making process on our Web sites, as well as through direct marketing offerings. Using the targeted nature of Internet advertising, manufacturers can advertise their brands effectively on any of our Web sites by targeting advertisements to consumers who are researching vehicles, thereby increasing the likelihood of influencing their purchase decisions.

 

Revenues from advertising were $4.5 million and $3.2 million, or 14% and 10% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. With further selling of additional advertising inventory, an increase in Internet advertising spending by automotive manufacturers, the acquisition of Stoneage in April 2004 and the addition of new and higher priced products, such as rich media and direct marketing offerings, we anticipate that our advertising revenues in 2005 will increase compared to 2004.

 

CRM services consist of fees paid by customers who use our customer retention and lead management products. Customer retention and lead management products consist of the Web Control system (Web Control), our customer lead management product, Retention Performance Marketing (RPM) and iDriveonline, our customer loyalty and retention marketing programs, and Automotive Download Services (ADS), our data extraction service. CRM services include fees from Web Control and ADS and fees from dealers using the iDriveonline program beginning April 9, 2004. Customers using our CRM services pay transaction fees based on the specified service, or ongoing monthly subscription fees based on the level of functionality selected from our suite of lead management products. Revenues from CRM services were $6.0 million and $5.0 million, or 19% and 16% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. We expect revenues from our CRM services to increase in 2005 compared to 2004 primarily due to the acquisition of iDriveonline in April 2004.

 

Revenues from data, applications and other include fees from automotive marketing data and technology, classified listings for used cars, international licensing agreements, internet sales training and other products and services. Revenues from data, applications and other were $1.1 million and $1.2 million, or 4% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. We develop data for use on our Web sites, and also make it available to third parties, such as automotive manufacturers and internet portals. We continue to focus our efforts on offering marketing services to dealers and automotive manufacturers. We expect revenues from data, applications and other to decline in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

To enhance the quality of purchase requests, each purchase request is passed through our Quality Verification System (QVS) SM which uses filters and validation processes to identify consumers with valid purchase intent before delivering the purchase request to our retail and enterprise dealers. We believe the implementation of these quality enhancing processes allows us to deliver high quality purchase requests to our retail and enterprise dealers. High quality purchase requests are those that result in high closing ratios. Closing ratio is the ratio of the number of vehicles purchased at a dealer generated from purchase requests to the total number of purchase requests sent to that dealer.

 

We delivered approximately 0.9 million and 1.1 million purchase requests through our online systems to retail and enterprise dealers in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. Of these, approximately 0.6 million and 0.7 million were delivered to retail dealers in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively, and approximately 0.3 million and 0.4 million were delivered to enterprise dealers in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. The number of purchase requests we delivered to our retail and enterprise dealers in the second quarter of 2005 declined by 0.1 million compared to the first quarter of 2005. Management is taking actions to reverse this trend. However, we cannot assure that this trend will not continue.

 

Additionally, we delivered approximately 0.2 million and 0.1 million finance requests in the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively, to retail dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies. We expect that the number of finance requests we deliver to retail dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies will increase in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

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To enhance our retail dealers’ ability to sell cars using our programs, we developed and implemented various products and processes that allow us to provide high quality dealer support. We contact all retail dealers new to our programs to confirm their initiation on our programs and train their designated personnel on the use of our programs and products. We also contact our retail dealers on a regular basis to identify retail dealers who are not using our programs effectively, develop relationships with retail dealer principals and their personnel responsible for calling consumers and to inform our retail dealers about their effectiveness using surveys completed by purchase-intending consumers.

 

Our relationship with retail dealers may terminate for various reasons including:

 

    termination by the dealer due to issues with purchase request volume, purchase request quality, fee increases or lack of dedicated personnel to manage the program effectively,

 

    termination by us due to the dealer providing poor customer service to consumers or for nonpayment of fees by the dealer,

 

    termination by us of dealers that cannot provide us with a reasonable profit,

 

    extinction of the manufacturer brand, or

 

    sale or termination of the dealer franchise.

 

In the second quarter of 2005, we experienced a net reduction of approximately 100 in our number of retail dealer relationships. We cannot assure that we will be able to reduce dealer turnover. Our inability or failure to reduce dealer turnover could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Because our primary revenue source is from lead fees, our business model is different from many other Internet commerce sites. The automobiles requested through our Web sites are sold by dealers; therefore, we derive no direct revenues from the sale of a vehicle and have no procurement, carrying or shipping costs and no inventory risk.

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth our results of operations as a percentage of revenues:

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


   

Six Months Ended

June 30,


 
     2005

    2004

    2005

    2004

 

Revenues

   100 %   100 %   100 %   100 %

Costs and expenses:

                        

Cost of revenues

   41     41     40     42  

Sales and marketing

   22     23     24     23  

Product and technology development

   20     18     19     18  

General and administrative

   27     15     26     14  

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

   1     —       1     —    
    

 

 

 

Total costs and expenses

   111     97     110     97  
    

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

   (11 )   3     (10 )   3  

Other income (expense)

   1     1     1     —    
    

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

   (10 )   4     (9 )   3  

Provision for income taxes

   —       —       —       —    
    

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   (10 )%   4 %   (9 )%   3 %
    

 

 

 

 

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Revenues by groups of similar services are as follows (in thousands):

 

    

Three Months Ended

June 30,


   Six Months Ended
June 30,


     2005

   2004

   2005

   2004

Lead fees

   $ 19,699    $ 21,772    $ 41,324    $ 38,964

Advertising

     4,497      3,165      9,258      6,267

CRM services

     6,040      4,951      11,798      7,960

Data, applications and other

     1,149      1,234      2,333      2,549
    

  

  

  

Total revenues

   $ 31,385    $ 31,122    $ 64,713    $ 55,740
    

  

  

  

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2005 Compared to Three Months Ended June 30, 2004

 

Revenues. Our revenues increased by $0.3 million, or 1%, to $31.4 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $31.1 million in the second quarter of 2004. The increase was due to growth in CRM services and advertising, offset by a decrease in lead fees.

 

Lead Fees. Lead fees decreased by $2.1 million, or 10%, to $19.7 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $21.8 million in the second quarter of 2004. The decrease was driven by a decline of 0.2 million in purchase requests delivered, offset by an increase of 0.1 million in finance requests delivered. The number of retail dealer relationships in our lead referral program was approximately 6,100 and 6,500 at June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The number of enterprise dealer relationships with major dealer groups in our lead referral program was approximately 680 and 590 at June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. In addition, we had five direct relationships encompassing 15 brands with automotive manufacturers or their automotive buying service affiliates representing up to approximately 17,000 enterprise dealer relationships at June 30, 2005, compared to six direct relationships encompassing 17 brands representing up to approximately 18,100 enterprise dealer relationships at June 30, 2004. Our finance lead referral network at June 30, 2005 and 2004 also included approximately 300 and 200, respectively, relationships with retail dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies who participate in the Car.com finance referral network. Lead fees and the number of purchase requests we delivered to our customers continued to decline in the second quarter of 2005 compared to the first quarter of 2005 and fourth quarter 2004. Management is taking actions to reverse this trend. However, we cannot assure that this trend will not continue.

 

Advertising. Advertising revenue increased by $1.3 million, or 42%, to $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $3.2 million in the second quarter of 2004. The increase was primarily due to higher spending by automotive manufacturers and the addition of new products, such as rich media and direct marketing offerings. With further selling of additional available advertising inventory, an increase in Internet advertising spending by automotive manufacturers and the addition of new and higher priced products, such as rich media and direct marketing offerings, we expect our advertising revenues to increase in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

CRM Services. CRM services increased by $1.1 million, or 22%, to $6.0 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $5.0 million in the second quarter of 2004. The increase was due to an increase in the number of Web Control and RPM customers. The number of Web Control customers and RPM customers were approximately 2,900 and 760, respectively, at June 30, 2005 compared to approximately 2,690 and 680, respectively, at June 30, 2004. We expect revenues from our CRM services to increase in 2005 compared to 2004 due to the acquisition of iDriveonline in April 2004.

 

Data, Applications and Other. Revenues from data, applications and other decreased by $0.1 million, or 7%, to $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $1.2 million in the second quarter of 2004. We expect data, applications and other to decline in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of traffic acquisition costs (“TAC”) and other cost of revenues. TAC consists of payments made to our internet purchase providers, including internet portals and online automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of printing, production, and postage for our customer loyalty and retention programs, fees paid to third parties for data and content included on our properties, connectivity costs, technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization and compensation related expense.

 

Cost of revenues decreased by $0.2 million or 2% to $12.7 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $12.9 million in the second quarter of 2004. This represents 41% of total revenues for both the second quarter of 2005 and 2004. The decrease was due to a $0.6 million decrease in the costs of purchase requests acquired from third parties, a $0.1 million decrease in personnel and related costs, a $0.3 million decrease in amortization of capitalized internal use software, offset by a $0.8 million increase in printing, production, and postage costs for our customer loyalty and

 

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retention program. The decrease in purchase request costs was primarily due to the decreased delivery of purchase requests. The decrease in personnel and related costs was primarily due to decrease headcount. The decrease in amortization of capitalized internal use software was due to certain costs that were fully amortized in 2004. The increase in printing, production and postage costs was due to the increase in customer loyalty and retention program volumes in our RPM business. We expect our costs of revenue to increase in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expense includes costs for developing our brand equity and personnel and other costs associated with dealer sales, CRM sales, Web site advertising sales, and dealer training and support. Sales and marketing expense in the second quarter of 2005 were flat when compared to the second quarter of 2004. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

Product and Technology Development. Product and technology development expense includes personnel costs related to developing new products, enhancing the features, content and functionality of our Web sites and our Internet-based communications platform, costs associated with our telecommunications and computer infrastructure, and costs related to data and technology development. Product and technology development expense increased by $0.8 million, or 15%, to $6.3 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $5.5 million in the second quarter of 2004. This represents 20% and 18% of total revenues for the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was due to higher personnel and related costs of $0.7 million and a $0.1 million in severance costs associated with the separation of three employees from us. The higher personnel and related costs are associated with the increase in headcount. We expect our product and technology development expenses to increase in 2005 compared to 2004.

 

General and Administrative. General and administrative expense consists of executive, financial and legal personnel expenses and costs related to being a public company. General and administrative expense increased by $4.0 million, or 89%, to $8.5 million in the second quarter of 2005 compared to $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2005. This represents 27% and 15% of total revenues for the second quarter of 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was primarily due to costs associated with the internal review, restatements and audits of our consolidated financial statements of $2.6 million, an increase in legal fees of $1.0 million, of which $0.4 million was associated with enforcing our intellectual property rights, $0.1 million was associated with defending purported class action and derivative lawsuits filed against us and $0.5 million was related to other legal matters, a $0.4 million increase in temporary personnel costs, a $0.4 million reduction in the estimated provision for bad debt in the second quarter of 2004 and a $0.2 million increase in insurance costs. These increases were offset by a $0.3 million charge related to an abandoned acquisition in the second quarter of 2004, a $0.2 million decrease in personnel costs and a $0.1 million severance charge associated with the separation of an employee in the second quarter of 2004. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in 2005 compared to 2004 due to costs relating to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, costs associated with our internal review and the remediation of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified in our internal review, costs associated with defending purported class action and derivative lawsuits filed against us and certain current directors and current and former officers relating to the restatements of our consolidated financial statements, and costs associated with enforcing our intellectual property rights, including the lawsuit filed against Dealix Corporation for patent infringement.

 

Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets. Amortization of acquired intangible assets represents the amortization of customer relationships and domain name recorded as part of the AVV, iDriveonline and Stoneage acquisitions. Amortization of acquired intangible assets in the second quarter of 2005 was flat when compared to the second quarter of 2004.

 

Interest Income. In the second quarter of 2005, interest income increased by $0.2 million, to $0.4 million compared to $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2004. The increase in interest income was due to the investment of our cash in accounts yielding higher interest rates.

 

Loss in Equity Investees. Loss in equity investee in the first quarter of 2004 represents our share of loss in Autobytel.Europe prior to the adoption of FIN 46R.

 

Minority Interest. Minority interest represents the portion of Autobytel.Europe’s net income allocable to Autobytel.Europe’s other shareholder.

 

Income Taxes. Provision for state income taxes in the second quarter of 2005 was flat when compared to the second quarter of 2004. In the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate, including estimating both our actual current tax exposure and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. We have net operating loss carryforwards that expire in various years through 2024. We also have federal and state research tax credit carryforwards. The federal research tax credits expire in various years through 2022. The state research tax credits do not expire. Utilization

 

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of these carryforwards is subject to an annual limitation due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code and similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of the carryforwards before utilization. To the extent that we have deferred tax assets, we must assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from taxable temporary differences, tax strategies or future taxable income and to the extent that we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. At the end of each reporting period, we evaluate whether it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets are not realizable. While we believe that such deferred tax assets were not realizable at June 30, 2005, our assessment may change in future periods if we generate positive operating results and such adjustment would impact our provision for income taxes in the period of such change.

 

Six Months Ended June 30, 2005 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2004

 

Revenues. Our revenues increased by $9.0 million, or 16%, to $64.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $55.7 million for the same period in 2004. The increase was due to growth in lead fees, CRM services and advertising, which was primary driven by the benefit of Car.com and iDriveonline for a full six months.

 

Lead Fees. Lead fees increased by $2.4 million, or 6%, to $41.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $39.0 million for the same period in 2004. The increase was due to the delivery of an additional 0.3 million finance requests delivered to dealers, finance request intermediaries, and automotive finance companies for the six months ended June 30, 2005 when compared to the same period in 2004. This increase was offset by a decline of 0.1 million in purchase requests delivered. The increase in finance requests was due to the benefit of Car.com for a full six months in 2005.

 

Advertising. Advertising revenue increased by $3.0 million, or 48%, to $9.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $6.3 million for the same period in 2004. The increase was primarily due to higher spending by automotive manufacturers, the benefit of Car.com for a full six months in 2005 and the addition of new products, such as rich media and direct marketing offerings in the second half of 2004.

 

CRM Services. CRM services increased by $3.8 million, or 48%, to $11.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $8.0 million for the same period in 2004. The increase was due to an increase in RPM revenues, primarily due to the benefit of iDriveonline for a full six months in 2005 coupled with its higher fees from its customer loyalty and retention marketing programs. Also, the increase was due to an increase in the number of Web Control and RPM customers. The number of Web Control customers and RPM customers were approximately 2,900 and 760, respectively, at June 30, 2005 compared to approximately 2,690 and 680, respectively, at June 30, 2004.

 

Data, Applications and Other. Revenues from data, applications and other decreased by $0.2 million, or 8%, to $2.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $2.5 million for the same period in 2004. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in fees from a program offered to credit unions that was discontinued in the fourth quarter of 2004, coupled with a decrease in fees from classified advertising service and training.

 

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of TAC and other cost of revenues. TAC consists of payments made to our internet purchase providers, including internet portals and online automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of printing, production, and postage for our customer loyalty and retention programs, fees paid to third parties for data and content included on our properties, connectivity costs, technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization and compensation related expense.

 

Cost of revenues increased by $2.7 million or 11% to $26.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $23.4 million for the same period in 2004. This represents 40% and 42% of total revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was due to a $2.0 million increase in the costs of purchase and finance requests acquired from third parties, a $1.4 million increase in printing, production, and postage costs and a $0.1 million increase in amortization of acquired technology. This increase was offset by a $0.2 million decrease in compensation costs, a $0.2 million decrease in depreciation expense and a $0.4 million decrease in the amortization of capitalized internal use software. The increase in purchase request and finance request costs was primarily due to the increased delivery of finance requests. The increase in printing, production and postage costs was primarily due to the increase in customer loyalty and retention program volumes in our RPM business. The increase in amortization of acquired technology was a result of the acquisitions of Stoneage and iDriveonline. The decrease in personnel and related costs was primarily due to decrease headcount. The decrease in depreciation and amortization of capitalized internal use software was due to certain costs that were fully depreciated and amortized in 2004.

 

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expense increased by $2.0 million, or 15%, to $15.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $13.1 million for the same period in 2004. This represents 24% and 23% of total

 

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revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was due to a $1.8 million increase in costs associated with sales and customer relationship maintenance and a $0.3 million increase in marketing personnel and related costs, offset by a $0.1 million decrease in other marketing costs. The increase in sales and customer relationship maintenance was due to higher personnel costs related to increased headcount and severance costs associated with the separation of two employees from us. The increase in marketing personnel and related costs was due to an increase in headcount.

 

Product and Technology Development. Product and technology development expense increased by $2.5 million, or 26%, to $12.4 million in the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $9.8 million for the same period in 2004. This represents 19% and 18% of total revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was due to higher personnel and related costs of $2.1 million, a $0.1 million increase in telephone costs related to our voice communications and a $0.3 million in other costs. The higher personnel and related costs is associated with the increase in headcount, largely from the acquisition of iDriveonline and Stoneage.

 

General and Administrative. General and administrative expense increased by $9.3 million, or 124%, to $16.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $7.5 million for the same period in 2004. This represents 26% and 14% of total revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase was primarily due to costs associated with the internal review, restatements and audits of our consolidated financial statements of $6.0 million, an increase in legal fees of $1.6 million, of which $0.8 million was associated with enforcing our intellectual property rights, $0.2 million was associated with defending purported class action and derivative lawsuits filed against us and $0.6 million was related to other legal matters, a $0.6 million increase in temporary personnel costs, a $0.4 million increase in consulting fees related to the documentation and testing of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, a $0.3 million increase in recruiting costs, a $0.2 million increase in the estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or failure of our customers to pay for our services, a $0.4 million reduction in the estimated provision for bad debt in 2004, a $0.1 million increase in insurance costs and a $0.1 million increase in other costs. These increases were offset by a $0.3 million charge related to an abandoned acquisition in 2004 and a $0.1 million severance charge associated with the separation of an employee in 2004.

 

Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets. Amortization of acquired intangible assets represents the amortization of customer relationships and domain name recorded as part of the AVV, iDriveonline and Stoneage acquisitions. Amortization of acquired intangible assets increased by $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. The increase was primarily due to the acquisitions of iDriveonline and Stoneage.

 

Interest Income. In the six months ended June 30, 2005, interest income increased by $0.3 million, to $0.7 million compared to $0.4 million for the same period in 2004. The increase in interest income was due to the investment of our cash in accounts yielding higher interest rates.

 

Loss in Equity Investee. Loss in equity investee in the six months ended June 30, 2004 represents our share of loss in Autobytel.Europe prior to the adoption of FIN 46R.

 

Minority Interest. Minority interest represents the portion of Autobytel.Europe’s net income allocable to Autobytel.Europe’s other shareholder.

 

Stock Options Granted in 2005

 

From January 1, 2005 through June 30, 2005, we granted stock options to purchase 893,500 shares of common stock under our 1996 Stock Incentive Plan, 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan and Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan. The stock options were granted at our common stock closing price on the date of grant. As of June 30, 2005, we had approximately 8.3 million outstanding stock options.

 

Employees

 

As of July 31, 2005, we had a total of 425 employees. We also utilize independent contractors as required. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any work stoppages and consider our employee relations to be good.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our domestic cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments totaled $45.1 million as of June 30, 2005, representing a decrease of $7.1 million in the second quarter of 2005. The decrease is primarily due to the payments associated with the previous internal review, restatements and audits of our consolidated financial statements, annual insurance premiums and a contract dispute settlement, which totaled approximately $8.6 million. As of June 30, 2005, we had $27.1 million in domestic cash and cash equivalents. As of June 30, 2005, restricted international cash and cash equivalents held by Autobytel.Europe were $8.6 million for use as directed by Autobytel.Europe. Restricted international cash and cash equivalents are not available to us.

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $6.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $0.7 million for the same period in 2004. Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2005 resulted from a net loss of $6.1 million for the period, a $3.1 million increase in accounts receivable, $0.7 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets and a $0.5 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses, which were partially offset by non-cash charges. The $3.1 million increase in accounts receivable was primarily due to the increase in days sales outstanding from 51 days during the three months ended December 31, 2004 to 57 days for the six months ended June 30, 2005. The $0.7 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets was primarily due to the payment of insurance premiums during the first half of 2005, offset by the amortization of the insurance premiums. The $0.5 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses was primarily due to payout of accrued compensation costs in the first half of 2005, offset by professional fees incurred related to the restatements of our consolidated financial statements, internal review, and defending purported class action and derivative lawsuits filed against us and certain current directors and current and former officers.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2004 resulted from net income for the period before non-cash charges and an increase in accounts payable, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets coupled with a decrease in accrued expenses, deferred revenues and accrued international licensee liabilities. A $1.2 million increase in accounts receivable was due to higher billing as a result of increased revenues. A $0.4 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets was primarily due to the payment of insurance premiums during the first half of 2004, offset by the amortization of the insurance premiums. A $1.4 million decrease in accrued expenses was primarily due to the payout of accrued compensation costs in the first half of 2004. A $0.5 million decrease in deferred revenue is primarily due to revenue recognized for our services provided to Stoneage dealers that were billed prior to the acquisition of Stoneage and international license fees for the first half of 2004 that were billed in December 31, 2003. A $1.5 million decrease in accrued international licensee liabilities was due to payments made in April 2004 by Autobytel.Europe to Autobytel.Europe licensees for amounts due under agreements entered into in March 2002.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities was $9.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $32.0 million for the same period in 2004. Cash provided by investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2005 was related to the sale and maturities of short-term investment in government sponsored agency bonds and auction rate securities, offset by purchases of short-term and long-term investments in government sponsored agency bonds and auction rate securities and purchases of property and equipment. Cash used in investing activities in the six months ended June 30, 2004 was related to the acquisitions of Stoneage and iDriveonline, net purchases of short-term and long-term investments in government sponsored agency bonds and auction rate securities and purchases of property and equipment, offset by the change in Autobytel.Europe’s cash balance.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was nominal for the six months ended June 30, 2005 compared to $3.4 million for the same period in 2004. Cash provided by financing activities in the six months ended June 30, 2004 was due to proceeds received from the sale of common stock through our employee stock purchase plan and the exercise of stock options, offset by payments of capital lease obligations assumed in the Stoneage acquisition.

 

Our cash requirements depend on several factors, including:

 

    the level of expenditures on marketing and advertising, including the cost of contractual arrangements with Internet portals, online information providers and other referral sources,

 

    the level of expenditures on product and technology development,

 

    the level of expenditures for general and administrative matters,

 

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    the ability to increase the volume of purchase requests and finance requests and transactions related to our Web sites,

 

    the amount and timing of cash collection and disbursements,

 

    the cash portion of acquisition transactions and joint ventures, and

 

    costs of ongoing litigation and any adverse judgments resulting from such litigation.

 

We estimate and record allowances for potential bad debts and customer credits based on our historical bad debt and customer credit experience, which is consistent with our past practice.

 

The allowance for bad debts is our estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or refusal of our customers to pay for our services. Additions to the estimated reserve for bad debts are recorded as an increase in general and administrative expenses. Reductions in the estimated reserve for bad debts are recorded as a decrease in general and administrative expenses. As specific bad debts are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated reserve for bad debts and have no impact on operating expenses.

 

The allowance for customer credits is our estimate of adjustments for services that do not meet our customers’ perceived expectations. Additions to the estimated reserve for customer credits are recorded as a reduction in revenues. Reductions in the estimated reserve for customer credits are recorded as an increase in revenues. As specific customer credits are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated reserve for customer credits and have no impact on revenues.

 

During the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005, we added $0.8 million and $1.8 million, respectively, to our domestic allowances for bad debts and customer credits. Also during the three months and six months ended June 30, 2005, we wrote-off $0.9 million and $1.7 million, respectively, from our previously established allowances for bad debts and customer credits. The write-offs had no impact on our revenues or operating expenses. As of June 30, 2005, our estimated allowances for domestic bad debts and customer credits have increased to $1.1 million, or 6% of gross accounts receivable from $1.0 million, or 5%, of gross accounts receivable as of December 31, 2004.

 

If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of our customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with our services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required and the impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition could be material.

 

We do not have debt. We believe our current cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months.

 

While we forecast and budget cash requirements, assumptions underlying the estimates may change and could have a material impact on our cash requirements. If our uses of funds vary materially from those currently planned, we may require additional financing sooner than anticipated. We have no commitments for any additional financing, and there can be no assurance that any such commitments can be obtained on favorable terms, if at all.

 

In 2005, we renewed our leases for our facilities in Irvine, California and Houston, Texas, which expire in September 2010 and April 2006, respectively. Additionally, we entered into a new lease for our facilities in Troy, Michigan, which expires in December 2010. Our contractual commitments associated with these lease obligations totaled $7.1 million as of June 30, 2005.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123R (revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment”, which revised SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation”. This statement supercedes APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”. The revised statement addresses the accounting for share-based payment transactions with employees and other third parties, eliminates the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB 25 and requires that the compensation costs relating to such transactions be recognized in the consolidated statement of operations. The revised statement is effective as of the first annual period

 

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beginning after June 15, 2005. In accordance with the revised statement, we will be required to recognize the expense attributable to stock options granted or vested subsequent to December 31, 2005. We expect the adoption of SFAS 123R will result in amounts that are similar to the current pro forma disclosures in Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, “Exchanges of Non-monetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29,” (“SFAS 153”). SFAS 153 addresses the measurement of exchanges of non-monetary assets and redefines the scope of transactions that should be measured based on the fair value of the assets exchanged. SFAS 153 is effective for non-monetary asset exchanges occurring in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005. The adoption of SFAS 153 is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

On March 29, 2005, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 107 which expresses the views of the SEC regarding the interaction between SFAS No. 123R and certain SEC rules and regulations and provides the SEC’s views regarding the valuation of share-based payment arrangements for public companies. In particular, SAB 107 provides guidance related to share-based payment transactions with non-employees, the transition from nonpublic to public entity status, valuation methods (including assumptions such as expected volatility and expected term), the accounting for certain redeemable financial instruments issued under share-based payment arrangements, the classification of compensation expense, non-GAAP financial measures, first-time adoption of SFAS No. 123R in an interim period, capitalization of compensation cost related to share-based payment arrangements, the accounting for income tax effects of share-based payment arrangements upon adoption of SFAS No. 123R, the modification of employee share options prior to adoption of SFAS No. 123R and disclosures in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations subsequent to adoption of SFAS No. 123R. We do not expect the impact SAB 107, which became effective on March 29, 2005, to have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In May 2005, Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (“SFAS 154”). SFAS 154 requires retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in accounting principle. It also requires that the new accounting principle be applied to the balances of assets and liabilities as of the beginning of the earliest period for which retrospective application is practicable and that a corresponding adjustment be made to the opening balance of retained earnings for that period rather than being reported in an income statement. The statement will be effective for accounting changes and corrections of errors made in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2005. We do not expect the adoption of SFAS 154 to have a material effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

Risk Factors

 

In addition to the factors discussed in the “Overview” and “Liquidity and Capital Resources” sections of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the following additional factors may affect our future results.

 

We have only been profitable from the fourth quarter of 2002 through the fourth quarter of 2004 and otherwise have a history of net losses. We incurred a loss in the first two quarters of 2005 and cannot assure that we will be profitable in the future. If we are unable to achieve profitability in the future and we lose money, our operations will not be financially viable.

 

Because of the relatively recent emergence of the Internet-based vehicle information and purchasing industry, none of our senior executives has long-term experience in the industry. This limited operating history contributes to our difficulty in predicting future operating results.

 

We have incurred losses every quarter through the third quarter of 2002 and have achieved profitability from the fourth quarter of 2002 through the fourth quarter of 2004. We incurred a loss in the first half of 2005, primarily because of the costs related to the restatements of our financial statements and the internal review related to those restatements. We cannot assure that we will be profitable in the future. We had an accumulated deficit of $154.5 million as of June 30, 2005 and $148.4 million as of December 31, 2004.

 

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Our potential for future profitability must be considered in light of the risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in emerging and rapidly evolving markets, such as the market for Internet commerce. We believe that to achieve and sustain profitability, we must, among other things:

 

    generate increased vehicle buyer traffic to our Web sites,

 

    successfully introduce new products and services,

 

    continue to send new and used vehicle purchase requests to dealers that result in sufficient dealer transactions to justify our fees,

 

    expand the number of dealers in our networks and enhance the quality of dealers,

 

    sustain and expand our relationships with automotive manufacturers,

 

    identify and successfully consummate and integrate acquisitions,

 

    respond to competitive developments,

 

    maintain a high degree of customer satisfaction,

 

    provide secure and easy to use Web sites for customers,

 

    increase visibility of our brand names,

 

    defend and enforce our intellectual property rights,

 

    design and implement effective internal controls systems,

 

    continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel and

 

    continue to upgrade and enhance our technologies to accommodate expanded service offerings and increased consumer traffic.

 

We cannot be certain that we will be successful in achieving these goals or that if we are successful in achieving these goals, that we will be profitable in the future.

 

Our internal controls and procedures need to be improved.

 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. In making its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, management used the criteria described in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, that results in a more than remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected.

 

Management determined that we had material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, and these material weaknesses led to the restatement of our consolidated financial statements for the full 2002 fiscal year, the first, second, and third fiscal quarters of 2003, the full 2003 fiscal year and the first and second fiscal quarters of 2004. The material weaknesses relate to the lack of (1) effective controls over the financial reporting process due to an insufficient complement of personnel with a level of accounting knowledge, experience and training in the application of generally accepted accounting principles commensurate with our financial reporting requirements, and (2) an effective control environment based on criteria established in the Internal Control—Integrated Framework. Because of these material weaknesses, management was unable to conclude that we maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 based on the criteria in the Internal Control—Integrated Framework. Further, the material weaknesses identified resulted in an adverse opinion by our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

 

If we are unable to substantially improve our internal controls, our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis will continue to be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse affect on our ability to operate our

 

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business. Please see Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 for more information regarding the measures we have commenced to implement, and which we intend to implement during the course of 2005, which are designed to remediate the deficiencies in our internal controls described in our Management’s Report On Internal Control Over Financial Reporting set forth on page F-2 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. The costs of remediating such deficiencies in our internal controls will adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, even after the remedial measures discussed in Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 are fully implemented, our internal controls will not prevent all potential error and fraud, because any control system, no matter how well designed, can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance that the objectives of the control system will be achieved.

 

The impact of ongoing purported class action and derivative litigation may be material. We are also subject to the risk of additional litigation and regulatory action in connection with the restatement of our consolidated financial statements and the potential liability from any such litigation or regulatory action could harm our business.

 

We recently restated our consolidated financial statements for the full 2002 fiscal year, the full 2003 fiscal year, the first, second and third fiscal quarters of 2003, and the first and second fiscal quarters of 2004. We, and certain of our present directors and present and former officers, are defendants in certain purported class action litigations pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The claims were brought on behalf of our stockholders who purchased shares during the period July 24, 2003 through October 21, 2004. The claims in all of these purported class actions are virtually identical, and purport to allege violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. In this regard, the plaintiffs allege that we misrepresented and omitted material facts with respect to our financial results and operations during the time period between July 24, 2003 and October 20, 2004. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as accountants’ and experts’ fees.

 

On January 28, 2005, the court ordered the consolidation of the currently pending class actions into a single case pursuant to a stipulation for consolidation signed by all parties. On March 14, 2005, the court appointed a lead plaintiff and approved the selection of lead counsel and liaison counsel. On June 30, 2005, the lead plaintiff filed and served a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint. The putative class period is July 24, 2003 to October 21, 2004. Defendants filed and served a motion to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint on August 1, 2005. The hearing is currently set for November 2005. Additional lawsuits asserting the same or similar claims may be filed as well. We intend to defend the claims vigorously. However, we cannot currently predict the impact or outcome of this litigation, which could be material, and the initiation, continuation and outcome of these lawsuits may have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

In addition, our directors and a former officer are defendants in a derivative suit pending in the Superior Court of Orange County, California, and we are named as a nominal defendant in this suit. This suit purports to allege that the defendants breached numerous duties to us, including breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of information, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, as well as violations of California Corporations Code 25402 (trading with material non-public information), and that these breaches and violations caused losses to us, including damages to our reputation and goodwill. Plaintiffs’ claims are based on allegations that the defendants disseminated false and misleading statements concerning our results of operations and that these results were inflated at all relevant times due to violations of generally accepted accounting principles and Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory damages, treble damages, equitable and/or injunctive relief, restitution, and attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as accountants’ and experts’ fees. Plaintiffs filed and served an Amended Derivative Complaint on July 29, 2005. Pursuant to stipulated order, defendants’ response to this Amended Derivative Complaint is due in September 2005. We intend to defend this suit vigorously. However, we cannot currently predict the impact or outcome of this litigation, which could be material, and the continuation and outcome of this lawsuit, as well as the initiation of similar suits may have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

As a result of the restatement of our consolidated financial statements described above, we could become subject to additional purported class action, derivative, or other securities litigation. In addition, regulatory agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, could commence an investigation relating to the restatement of our consolidated financial statements. As of the date hereof, we are not aware of any additional litigation or investigation having been commenced against us related to these matters, but we cannot predict whether any such litigation or regulatory investigation will be commenced or, if it is, the outcome of any such litigation or investigation. If any such investigation were to result in a regulatory proceeding or action against us, our business and financial condition could be harmed. The initiation of any additional securities litigation, together with the lawsuits described above, may also harm our business and financial condition.

 

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Until the existing purported class action and derivative litigation or any additional litigation or regulatory investigation is resolved, it may be more difficult for us to raise additional capital or incur indebtedness or other obligations. If an unfavorable result occurred in any such action, our business and financial condition could be further harmed.

 

We will incur substantial expenses in connection with ongoing purported class action and derivative litigation and possible related regulatory investigations which will materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

 

We will incur substantial expenses in connection with purported class action and derivative litigation and possible related regulatory investigations in connection with the restatement of our consolidated financial statements, including substantial fees for attorneys and other professional advisors. We are also obligated to indemnify our current and former officers and current directors named as defendants in such actions. These expenses, to the extent not covered by available insurance, will materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

 

We will incur substantial expenses relating to remediation of material weaknesses in our internal controls identified in our internal review related to the restatement of our consolidated financial statements for certain prior periods, which will materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

 

We will incur substantial expenses relating to the remediation of material weaknesses in our internal controls identified in our internal review related to the restatement of our consolidated financial statements for the full 2002 fiscal year, the first, second, and third fiscal quarters of 2003, the full 2003 fiscal year, and the first and second fiscal quarters of 2004. These expenses will materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

 

Our failure to comply with certain conditions required for our common stock to be listed on The Nasdaq National Market could result in the delisting of our common stock from The Nasdaq National Market.

 

As a result of our failure to timely file our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2004, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2005, and certain required restatements of our financial statements for prior periods, from November 2004 to May 2005 we were not in full compliance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14), which requires us to make, on a timely basis, all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We are required to comply with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14) as a condition for our common stock to continue to be listed on The Nasdaq National Market.

 

We requested and received from a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel (the “Panel”) several extensions within which to comply with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14). On April 7, 2005, we received an extension to the deadline to come into full compliance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14) to May 15, 2005, which deadline was subsequently extended by the Panel to May 31, 2005. The Panel’s decision to continue the listing of our shares on The Nasdaq National Market was subject to the condition that we file, on or before May 31, 2005, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2004, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2005, and certain required restatements of our financial statements for prior periods. We have now complied with this condition. In addition, our continued listing is conditioned on us timely filing all periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Nasdaq Stock Market for all reporting periods ending on or before December 31, 2006. The filing of a Form 12b-25 extension request will not result in an automatic extension of these filing deadlines.

 

On May 20, 2005, we received notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market that the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council (the “Listing Council”) has called for a review of the Panel’s April 7, 2005 decision. On June 30, 2004, we submitted additional information for the Listing Council’s consideration. We cannot give any assurances as to what actions the Listing Council may take, but such actions could include delisting our shares from The Nasdaq National Market. We cannot provide any assurance that our shares will not be delisted as a result of the Listing Council review process. In addition, if we are unable to comply with the conditions for continued listing required by the Panel, then our shares of common stock are subject to immediate delisting from The Nasdaq National Market. If our shares of common stock are delisted from The Nasdaq National Market, they may not be eligible to trade on any national securities exchange or the over-the-counter market. If our common stock is no longer traded through a market system, it may not be liquid, which could affect its price. In addition, we may be unable to obtain future equity financing, or use our common stock as consideration for mergers or other business combinations. We intend to appeal any decision to delist our shares from The Nasdaq National Market, but cannot provide any assurance that our appeal will be successful. Any such appeal will not stay the decision to delist our shares.

 

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If our dealer attrition increases, our dealer networks and revenues derived from these networks may decrease.

 

The majority of our revenues are derived from fees paid by our networks of participating retail and enterprise dealers. A few agreements account for substantially all of our enterprise dealer relationships. From time to time, a major dealer group or automotive manufacturer may significantly increase or decrease the number of enterprise dealers participating in our dealer networks or the number of purchase requests accepted from us. If dealer attrition increases or the number of purchase requests accepted from us decreases and we are unable to add new dealers to mitigate the attrition or decrease in number of accepted requests, our revenues will decrease. A material factor affecting dealer attrition is our ability to provide dealers with high quality purchase requests at prices acceptable to dealers. High quality purchase requests are those that result in high closing ratios. Closing ratio is the ratio of the number of vehicles purchased at a dealer generated from purchase requests to the total number of purchase requests sent to that dealer. If the number of dealers in our networks declines or dealers reduce the services they receive from us, our revenues will decrease and our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if automotive manufacturers or major dealer groups force us to decrease the fees we charge for our services, our revenues will decline which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Generally, our retail dealer agreements are cancelable by either party upon 30 days notice. Participating retail dealers may terminate their relationship with us for any reason, including an unwillingness to accept our subscription terms or as a result of joining alternative marketing programs. We cannot assure that retail dealers will not terminate their agreements with us. Our business is dependent upon our ability to attract and retain qualified new and used vehicle retail dealers, major dealer groups and automotive manufacturers. In order for us to grow or maintain our dealer networks, we need to reduce our dealer attrition. We cannot assure that we will be able to reduce the level of dealer attrition, and our failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may lose participating retail dealers because of the reconfiguration or elimination of exclusive dealer territories. We will lose the revenues associated with any reductions in participating retail dealers resulting from such changes.

 

We may reduce, reconfigure or eliminate exclusive territories currently assigned to Autobytel, CarSmart or Car.com retail dealers. If a retail dealer is unwilling to accept a reduction, reconfiguration or elimination of its exclusive territory, it may terminate its relationship with us. A retail dealer also could sue to prevent such reduction, reconfiguration or elimination, or collect damages from us. We have experienced one such lawsuit. A material decrease in the number of retail dealers participating in our networks or litigation with retail dealers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We send some individual purchase requests to multiple retail dealers. As a result, we may lose participating retail dealers and may be subject to pressure on the fees we charge such dealers for such purchase requests. We will lose the revenues associated with any reductions in participating retail dealers or fees.

 

We send some individual purchase requests to multiple retail dealers to enhance consumer satisfaction and experience. If a retail dealer perceives such requests as having less value, it may request that fees be reduced or may terminate its relationship with us. A material decrease in the number of retail dealers participating in our networks or the fees such dealers pay us could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We rely heavily on our participating dealers to promote our brand value by providing high quality services to our consumers. If dealers do not provide our consumers high quality services, our brand value will diminish and the number of consumers who use our services may decline causing a decrease in our revenues.

 

Promotion of our brand value depends on our ability to provide consumers a high quality experience for purchasing vehicles throughout the purchasing process. If our dealers do not provide consumers with high quality service, the value of our brands could be damaged and the number of consumers using our services may de